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The 1-mile parade route will begin on South Front Street at the corner of West Liberty Street.

In the photo at right, Curt Fisher (left) and Paul Hustoles discuss the downtown location of the Sesquicentennial Homecoming Parade at the beginning of the parade route.

Mankato, Minn. – Minnesota State University, Mankato will hold its Homecoming Parade this fall in downtown Mankato for the first time since 1970. The parade will be held Saturday, Sept. 29 at 10 a.m.

The 1-mile downtown parade route (see map below left) is approximately double the distance of the ½-mile campus parade route used in recent years. This year’s parade, scheduled to last for an estimated 1-1/2 to 2 hours, will begin on South Front Street at the corner of West Liberty Street and proceed through downtown Mankato on South 2nd Street and then through Old Town on North Riverfront Drive for its final six blocks.

The parade route was lengthened and moved downtown this year in honor of Minnesota State Mankato’s sesquicentennial celebration, and also to acknowledge the 150th anniversary of Mankato’s city charter, said Minnesota State Mankato President Richard Davenport.

“We are excited to bring the University’s Homecoming Parade back downtown as we celebrate our 150th anniversary,” said Davenport. “We invite the entire Mankato-area community, as well as alumni and friends of the University, to join us on Saturday, Sept. 29 at 10 a.m. for this spectacular downtown parade involving the University and local businesses. Also, please plan to attend the many sesquicentennial events being held on campus. I want to thank the City of Mankato and community members for their work in making this possible.”

From 7:30-10 a.m. Sept. 29, prior to the parade, Davenport will host his annual free community pancake breakfast, which will be held this year at Mankato’s Civic Center Plaza.

Curt Fisher, chair of the Sesquicentennial Parade Committee and a Mankato business owner, said moving the parade downtown this year was a community effort.

“The Sesquicentennial Committee is excited to make this a special and memorable event to be celebrated in our community with bands, floats and unique entrees that celebrate the 150-year history of the University in our communities,” said Fisher. “We’re grateful to the City of Mankato, local businesses and community organizations for supporting the parade.”

Paul Hustoles, chair of Minnesota State Mankato’s Department of Theatre and Dance and co-chair of the University’s Sesquicentennial Planning Commission, described the parade as “one of the signature events leading up to the sesquicentennial’s culmination on Oct. 7, the date that marks the 150-year anniversary of the day that the University’s first actual classes were held.”

For more information about the sesquicentennial, contact Hustoles by phone at 507-389-2118 or by email at paul.hustoles@mnsu.edu.

Kickoff time for the Homecoming football game is 2 p.m. at Blakeslee Stadium. This year’s opponent is St. Cloud State. A complete schedule of homecoming activities is available at www.mnsu.edu/homecoming/schedule/.

Minnesota State Mankato, a comprehensive university with approximately 15,000 students, is part of the Minnesota State system, which includes 30 colleges and seven universities.